SchoolTECH

North Carolina Schools Stay Connected with Schooltech

September 12, 2012 | Phoenix, AZ

Background

Mary Buchfuehrer, MIS Director for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, felt the pressure of the greater demands on her schools for on-line accessibility. Increased requirements for exchanging data between schools and administrative offices, in combination with the growing need for student use of the Internet, placed a heavy strain on older systems and technologies.

"Access with our T1 lines was simply not adequate anymore and we had to limit the type of data that could pass through our network. This was beginning to hinder, rather than help, the instructional experience of our students."

Time Warner Cable’s extensive fiber optic infrastructure throughout North Carolina was uniquely capable of providing a solution for the school district. After the school district contacted Time Warner Cable, the company’s systems engineers determined that these Greensboro area schools needed highly scalable and secure networks that could sustain multiple applications such as distance learning and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

Solution

Time Warner Cable Business Class provided Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools the latest in high speed Internet access with a managed fiber network. The new system serves all of the 78 schools in the county including the administrative office in Winston-Salem. Locations have high speed connections ranging from 20 to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and replace the older frame relay network. This new network employs Metro Ethernet, connecting all school locations throughout Forsyth County and optimizing speed and performance. The fiber optic network enables students and teachers to use the Internet with greater flexibility while other applications continue to proceed without interruption.

"North Carolina schools face the challenge of providing quality education and educational resources to students while working within tight budget constraints,” said Bob Walcot, Vice President, Business Services. “This fiber optic solution helps them meet their needs with cost-effective solutions which provide superior resources and communication methods that will grow as their technology needs grow."

Time Warner Cable Business Class independently monitors and manages this network with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The school district works exclusively with Time Warner Cable, which provides the experience and benefit of faster network performance, better monitoring, and quicker response time for resolving problems.

Results

Time Warner Cable Business Class services benefit the county schools through reduced costs, scalable and dependable solutions, enhanced knowledge sharing, improved student learning experiences and more resources for teachers and students.

"Time Warner Cable Business Class has made this huge project seem very easy. TWC worked with us to develop an implementation timetable that worked for our specific needs and then achieved in meeting all of our critical deadlines. They even completed certain project components ahead of schedule. As a result of this great new partnership, the district’s students and teachers finally have the access that they need to do their jobs" - Ms. Buchfuehrer.